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The Prime Minister has unveiled a new forum soliciting advice from the general public on how to tackle the deficit over the next four years.

Following on from the launch of Nick Clegg's online repeal appeal at the beginning of the month - a website enlisting the British electorate to help decide which laws should be scrapped from the statute books - PM David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne are now turning to Facebook to ask voters which public sector services should prepare for the chop.

The public can submit ideas to 'The Spending Challenge', highlighting perceived areas of waste and potential efficiency savings.

In a YouTube conversation with Facebook's co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, the Prime Minister acknowledged the scale of the financial crisis that had spurred the government to sail into these uncharted political waters. 'Basically, we've got a big problem here. We need to save a huge amount of money. We've got the biggest budget deficit anywhere in the G20. This year, we're borrowing more than almost any other European country.'

Cameron used the encounter as a platform to promote the Big Society. When applauded by the young Internet tycoon on the coalition's 'willingness to reach out and engage' and the innovation of opening up policy-making on such a public forum, the PM identified an 'enormous civic spirit in this country where people want to take control of things and do things in a different way'.

The Chancellor also delivered a public message this afternoon on Democracy UK, similarly acknowledging the magnitude of the country's debt and encouraging UK Facebook users to exercise their democratic right online. 'You pay your taxes; you use those public services. Tell us how we can improve them and make sure we get better value for your money.

'Tell us where's the waste, what should we cut out, what can we improve, what's working really well that we should be doing more of.'

Crowdsourcing is becoming a leitmotif of the Cameron-Clegg coalition. A fortnight ago, the chancellor asked civil servants to propose their own ideas for cuts. The appeal generated an overwhelming 56,000 suggestions.

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